


My Little Pony: Beyond Equestria

by XFangHeartX



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Pirates, Sky Pirates, Wolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-01 11:45:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14519829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XFangHeartX/pseuds/XFangHeartX
Summary: Based off the movie. It's the first ever Festival of Friendship in Equestria, and Twilight has planned out the whole thing...except for an invasion from a new evil force and a vengeful unicorn named Tempest Shadow. In order to save their home, Twilight and her friends must venture out into a world unknown, and their friendship will be put to the ultimate test.





	1. The Festival of Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> My Little Pony the Movie © Hasbro and Lionsgate
> 
> Moonlight Essence © Me

 A vast, open sky fillled with puffy, pinkish-white clouds, a lavender hue and the glittering stars...and most of all, a trio of Pegasus ponies, soaring above the clouds. They soon did a graceful loop-de-loop U-turn maneuver before they dived down into the clouds, and not long after, two more Pegasi joined them as they descended upon a cobblestone road, where many other ponies, earth, unicorn, and Pegasus alike, all trotted towards one place: Canterlot.  
  
_"Hey! Hey! Hey!  
Hey! Hey! Hey!  
  
See the ponies trottin' down the street,  
Equestria is where they wanna meet,  
And they're trottin' in time,  
And they're trottin', yeah  
  
They got the beat,  
They got the beat,  
They got the beat!  
Yeah, they got the beat!"_  
  
 The moment one would enter the grand capital of Equestria and seeing the two alicorn statues at the gate, they would almost feel as if they had been welcomed by the realm's two great rulers. The city square was alive, both on the ground and in the air as ponies from far and wide decorated the many buildings with beautiful banners and colorful streamers. If that didn't catch anypony's eye, then the banquet full of delectable cupcakes, pies, and other desserts certainly would, if anypony was hungry from their long trip.  
  
_"Go-go music really makes us dance,  
Do the pony, puts us in a trance,  
Do the watusi, just give us a chance,  
That's when we fall in line!  
  
'Cause we got the beat,  
We got the beat,  
We got the beat,  
We got the beat!  
Yeah, we got it!"  
_  
 At that moment, a familiar baby dragon jumped off the lime gelatin, carrying several documents in his claws.  
  
 "'Scuse me!" Spike called as he ran by. "Dragon on the move! Important princess documents, coming through~!"  
  
 As Spike hurried to Canterlot Castle, several ponies were seen, playing in a bouncy house, or just trotting through the streets.  
  
 "Wow!" exclaimed a white earth pony mare with orange and red mane and tail, Rainbow Daze. "Everypony from Manehattan to Saddle Arabia is here!"  
  
 "I know, filly!" said her friend, a light brown earth pony mare with a creamy blonde mane and tail, Key Lime. "We almost couldn't book a stable!"  
  
 Soon, two Pegasi flew overhead, excitedly.  
  
 "Princess Twilight sure must have her hooves full with this giant festival!" said the lavender one.  
  
 "Are you kidding?!" asked the light yellow Pegasus flying alongside. "She's smart and organized and cool under pressure! There's  _nothing_  she can't handle!"  
  
 Now, one might be wondering: what is this festival that everypony keeps talking about? Simple, really. It is a never-before-seen event that is actually the first in Equestrian history that brought many ponies together as one, and it is called the First Annual Festival of Friendship, and who else happened to plan out this whole event than the Princess of Friendship, herself...Twilight Sparkle.  
  
 In fact, the purple alicorn was actually standing behind her stained glass window portrait, wearing a golden crown with magenta diamonds, her eyes closed, her wings spread out, and her horn gently glowing a soft pink light.  
  
 "Oooom..." she hummed. "Oooom...oooooooooh my GOODNESS, I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!!!"  
  
 ...So much for being cool under pressure.  
  
 Twilight whimpered as she paced about in the corridor that led right to the castle throne room. To think, just about 2 months ago, the city itself had been under siege by the vicious and sociopathic tyrant, Warfang the Wolf King and his army. In fact, Warfang was the one villain who ever brought Twilight to fall prey to the darkness within her heart. If it had not been for the intervention of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and of course, Twilight's dear friends, the Princess of Friendship would not only have destroyed Canterlot...she would have destroyed herself.  
  
 Thankfully, she had been brought back to her senses, and using the Elements of Harmony, she and her friends destroyed Warfang, once and for all. Since then, Warfang's youngest son, Swiftclaw, had taken over as the new Wolf King, promising to lead his pack in peace and hopefully open the minds of other ponies to the prospect of becoming friends with the wolves.  
  
 Now, Twilight had to face another dilemma: asking her fellow princesses for a favor that could potentially change the very fate of the festival, except for one problem...she was too afraid to ask.  
  
 "Nothing I do is working!" Twilight exclaimed before she put on a determined face. "I just HAVE to get it together!" She then glanced to the throne room. "Just go in there...AND ASK! This is your Friendship Festival." She then looked up at her stained glass portrait. "Everypony's happiness rests in your hooves..."  
  
 A pause...before she smacked her hoof against her forehead and groaned with worry. At that moment, Spike entered while he still held the documents.  
  
 "Okay, Twilight!" the little dragon said. "Got all your charts and graphs!"  
  
 "Oh, thank goodness you're here, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'm just so nervous about this meeting!"  
  
 Spike balked a bit in surprise before he glared skeptically at his long-time friend.  
  
 "What you talkin' 'bout?" he asked, causing Twilight to sigh before she turned away from him.  
  
 "I'm about to the three most royal princesses in Equestria for a HUGE favor," she said. "What if...what if they reject me?"  
  
 Spike blinked for a moment before he smiled.  
  
 "It'll be fine," he assured. "Just remember the most important thing!"  
  
 "...SMILE?!" asked Twilight, giving a rather exaggerated, toothy grin as her eye twitched.  
  
 "Err...no," Spike answered, being careful not to drop the papers in his claws. " _You're_  a princess, too!"  
  
 "...Right," Twilight replied before she took in a deep breath to compose herself, then, she turned to the giant doors before her and pushed them open with her magic, revealing the royal throne room, where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence had all gathered.  
  
 "Good morning, princesses!" Twilight greeted, enthusiastically as she and Spike entered. "Thank you all for seeing me. I have an idea that I think will make our First Annual Friendship Festival the most wonderful celebration Equestria has ever seen!"  
  
 "Yes, Twilight," concurred Celestia. "We are very excited."  
  
 "Ponies have been arriving from all over, all morning!" Cadence added.  
  
 "I'd like to say it's to see us," Luna quipped, "but Songbird Serenade  _might_  be the bigger attraction."  
  
 "Yes, she is the 'mane' event," Twilight joked, "and to make it extra special, I could use your help. Spike?"  
  
 Spike hummed the tune of a fanfare as he pulled a whiteboard, revealing all kinds of equations, variables, and schematics for a stage.  
  
 "Songbird Serenade's perfomance is not scheduled to start until after you begin the sunset," she began as she used her magic to bring out a marker, with which she used to draw both Celestia and Luna raising both the sun and the moon over the stage, "and based on my precise calculation, Princess Celestia, I was hoping you could make sure the sun stays 28.1 degrees to the south, and Princess Luna, if you could raise the moon just 62 degrees to the north at the same time, it would reflect the sunlight and really frame the entire stage, PERFECTLY!"  
  
 The three princesses stood dumbfounded at Twilight's plan, either because of the complicatedness or because they couldn't really understand what Twilight was saying because of her..."geek talk".  
  
 "I-" Luna started, only for Twilight to cut her off.  
  
 "But wait! There's more!" the Princess of Friendship exclaimed, causing Luna to grumble under her breath in annoyance.  
  
 "Cadence," Twilight said as she drew what looked like an aurora over the stage, "if you could use your crystal magic to create an aurora above the stage, the sun and the moon's light will shine through it, and create a truly amazing light show!"  
  
 On that, Spike threw some sparkling glitter up into the air and made a whistling sound like fireworks shooting up into the sky.  
  
 "Presenting Songbird Serenade!" he announced as he held up a stick figure puppet of a Pegasus with a white coat and a double-dyed mane and tail that blonde on one half and black on the other. The little dragon soon stood up and danced on top of the whiteboard...only to slip and fall on the floor.  
  
 "...Ta-dah...!" Spike winced weakly while Twilight grinned and held out her wings.  
  
 "Well?" she asked. "What do you think? Great idea, right?!"  
  
 The other three princesses only blinked at Twilight before Luna decided to speak.  
  
 "So...you want us to move the sun and the moon...for the party...?" she asked.  
  
 "Well, I'd do it myself," Twilight started, "except...well, I don't have your magic!" She then gave an awkward giggle, followed by a small snort.  
  
 "Twilight," Celestia said as she approached her former student, whose smile soon fell in worry as, Luna, and Cadence shined their horns. "Each of uses our magic to serve Equestria in our own way: I raise the sun, Luna raises the moon, and Cadence uses her magic to spread love." She then gently cupped Twilight's chin with her hoof. "You are the Princess of Friendship. You already have all the magic you need."  
  
 "...Soooo...I'm guessing that's a no?" Twilight inquired as her ears drooped in disappointment while Spike grinned sheepishly.  
  
XXX  
  
 Meanwhile, outside in Canterlot's square, there was a little unicorn filly by the name of Moonlight Essence, Twilight's adopted younger sister, who was sniffing some flowers that were used as decorations for the festival. However, she was interrupted when something went  _ **WHOOSH**_  right over her head, causing her to yelp as she covered her head with her hooves before she looked up and saw that it was none other than Rainbow Dash, who was clearing away some clouds in the sky.  
  
 "Yes!" she cheered. "Skies cleared and ready for the festival!" She then looked down at Moonlight. "Sorry about that, kiddo! I didn't scare you, did I?"  
  
 "No, you're good!" Moonlight assured.  
  
 Down below in the square, an extravagant stage had been set up for Songbird Serenade's performance. Pinkie Pie was busy setting up balloon animals, and she was currently blowing up what looked like a really big, salmon-colored balloon, when really, it was just a long balloon, which she then intricately tied and wound up to create a Balloon Discord...which quickly began to release air from the tail, to Pinkie's disgust, before the balloon ended up flying away, right into Fluttershy's orchestra of birds...and Angel, dressed up as a bird, for some reason. Clearly, the little bunny was not pleased.  
  
 "Look out, Fluttershy!!" Pinkie cried as she chased the Balloon Discord, which in turn caused the birds to scatter. "Out of control balloooon~!!"  
  
 Fluttershy, though a bit shocked at her birds getting startled, only chuckled as she nuzzled a tiny bird that landed on her hoof.  
  
 "I don't think it's the  _balloon_  that's out of control, Pinkie Pie," the yellow Pegasus mused.  
  
 "Hey, y'all!" Applejack called as she pulled along a wagon with a barrelful of apple cider, but not without ducking under a flying Pinkie and her balloon. "Anypony want some free samples of my family's apple cider?"  
  
 "Aha...!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed once she heard the word "cider".  
  
  **ZOOM!!!**  
  
 "Thank you!"  
  
**SLUUUUURRP! ZOOM!!**  
  
 "Loved it!"  
  
 Applejack blinked in surprise as she looked at the now empty cider cup she had in her hoof, then glared up at Rainbow Dash while Moonlight went up and stood beside the orange earth pony.  
  
 "Rainbow sure loves her apple cider, huh?" she asked.  
  
 "I wouldn't mind it," Applejack began as she poured some more cider into the cup, "except I'd prefer it if she didn't do that."  
  
 "You mean fly by and drink the cider, and put the cup back, like she's about to do, right now?" Moonlight asked...while Rainbow Dash proceeded to do exactly that.  
  
 "...Yes," Applejack said in annoyed voice.  
  
 Meanwhile, Rarity hummed a little ditty to herself as she decorated the stage with pink ribbons and diamonds, making sure that the gem was right in the middle of the ribbon.  
  
 "Wow, Rarity," Applejack commented. "That's a...fine job yer doin' there...'cept it might not be done 'til after the concert."  
  
 It was revealed that Rarity had only gotten one ribbon up on the stage.  
  
 "Uh...Rarity?" Moonlight asked. "I know I'm pointing out the obvious, but...you barely got anything done."  
  
 "Oh-ho-ho," Rarity chuckled as she gently cupped Moonlight's chin with her hoof. "Moonlight, darling. Anypony can do 'fine', but your sister asked me, so clearly, she's going for 'fabulous', and fabulousness takes time."  
  
 "...I guess," Moonlight replied while Applejack rolled her eyes.  
  
 "Here we go, again..." she muttered.  
  
 "Ugh!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Fabulousness takes forever! But awesome..."  
  
  **VOOM!!!**  She zipped along the stage, setting up the ribbons and gems as she did...and even sent poor Fluttershy spinning and ended up tying her up by mistake. By the time she was done, the ribbons were shoddily tied up and the gems were lopsided.  
  
 "Can get things done in 4 seconds flat!" Rainbow Dash boasted. "Heck, maybe even faster with my Sonic Rainboom-"  
  
 "GAH!!" Rarity gasped at the result. "Oh, n-no, no, NO, don't you DARE, Rainbow Dash!! It looks wretched enough, already!"  
  
 "Oh, come  _on!_ " Rainbow Dash argued. "It's  _fine!_ "  
  
 "Yes, if you were  _raised in a barn!_ " Rarity countered, only to gasp as she looked over to Applejack. "N-no offense, Applejack."  
  
 "Ah, none taken," Applejack replied as she poured some more cider, which Rainbow Dash continued to swipe and drink, which caused Applejack to keep pouring more. "'Specially since I wasn't raised in a barn. My family just happens to have a barn...where I was raised...and...spent most of my...formative years..."  
  
 " _Rrrraised in a barn!_ " Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she took another swig of cider.  
  
 "...Would you stop that?!" Applejack questioned while Moonlight giggled, then she gasped happily upon seeing Twilight and Spike approach, the former holding up a check list.  
  
 "Okay, just 218 things left to do, and we're ready," the purple alicorn speculated.  
  
 "Twilight!" Moonlight cheered, causing the Princess of Friendship to put down her list as the filly ran up and nuzzled her face against her chest.  
  
 "Hey, Twilight!" everypony else greeted.  
  
 "Hello, Spike," Rarity said, warmly, causing Spike to gasp silently with a blush on his face.  
  
 "Oh! Uh...hi, Rarity," Spike replied as he waved, sheepishly.  
  
 "Hi, guys," Twilight greeted. "And of course, you, too, Moonlight. I hope you weren't bored, waiting out for me."  
  
 "Nope!" Moonlight replied. "I've been out here with Applejack and everypony else, so at least I had something to do until you got back."  
  
 "So, how'd it go with the other princesses?" Applejack asked. "Did they like your idea?"  
  
 "I bet they loved it~!" Pinkie called as she kept chasing her balloon.  
  
 "Not exactly," Twilight sighed. "They think I can make today perfect  _without_  their magic."  
  
 "And they're absolutely right, darling!" Rarity concurred as she fixed the decorations Rainbow Dash put up. "This festival is all your brilliant idea, and we know you're up to the task."  
  
 "Yeah, Twilight, you're amazing!" Moonlight added.  
  
 "But what if I'm not?!" Twilight asked, worriedly. "What if Songbird Serenade hates the stage that we set up?! Or what if nopony makes any new friends?! If I fail at the festival, THEN WHO AM I?!!"  
  
 That's when Pinkie grabbed the princess by her face and looked her right in the eye.  
  
 "Twilight, look at me," she said, literally getting right in her face. "This will be the BIGGEST celebration that Equestria has ever seen! As the Princess of Friendship, you CANNOT fail! This day will DEFINE who you are!"  
  
 "Uh...Pinkie?" Moonlight asked.  
  
 "The pressure is INTENSE!" Pinkie exclaimed. "IT'S ALMOST TOO MUCH FOR A SINGLE PONY TO HANDLE!! AAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!!"  
  
 That shriek caught the attention of everypony in the square, causing an air of awkwardness before Pinkie backed away with her usual gleeful smile.  
  
 "But you have us, so stop worrying!" she assured.  
  
 "Pinkie's right, Twilight," Moonlight said as she helped her adopted older sister to her hooves. "You've got us, and when we're together, there's nothing we can't do, right?"  
  
 Twilight looked to the rest of the group and saw Applejack rubbing her leg, Rarity being finicky over the decorations, the ribbons falling off Fluttershy, Spike eating one of the gems, and Rainbow Dash burping after drinking so much cider.  
  
 "...I...guess...?" Twilight smiled while Applejack smiled and gently brushed her off. Soon after, she began to sing.  
  
Applejack (singing):  _"It's time to show 'em what you've got~!"_  
  
 Then Rarity walked up and put Twilight's crown on her head.  
  
Rarity (singing):  _"It's time go and get things done~!"_  
  
 Soon, Fluttershy began to join in.  
  
Fluttershy (singing):  _"But you don't have to do it on your own,"_  
  
Pinkie (singing):  _"'Cause you've got friends right here to make it fun!"_  
  
 On that, Pinkie pulled everypony into a group hug, which did seemed to cheer Twilight up a bit, which caused Moonlight to smile in turn before they all began to sing.  
  
All (singing):  _"We got this!  
You got this!  
We got this together~!"_  
  
 Soon after, Rainbow Dash grabbed Twilight by the hoof and pulled her up into the sky, dragging along Spike and Moonlight for the ride.  
  
Rainbow Dash (singing):  _"Sometimes the pressure gets you down,  
And the clouds are dark and grey!  
Just kick them off and let the sunshine through~!"_  
  
 On that, she kicked away some clouds overhead, which let a beam sunlight shine down on Twilight's face before she flew up to join the cyan Pegasus.  
  
Rainbow Dash (singing):  _"And scary as it seems,  
More help is on the way,"_  
  
 Soon, the Wonderbolts appeared and kicked the clouds away, as well, leaving the sky nice and clear.  
  
Rainbow Dash (singing):  _"'Cause friends have friends  
That wanna help out, too~!"_  
  
Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts (singing):  _"We got this!  
You got this!  
We got this together~!"_  
  
 The Wonderbolts soon made one more cloud disperse...except for one tiny one that was right near the sun, which Twilight was about to point out, but Rainbow Dash only rolled her eyes and pulled her, Spike, and Moonlight down to the streets below, where all kinds of stands, kiosks, and games had been set up. Zecora was even there to hand out her medicinal potions, and Bulk Biceps was trying out the strength-testing game.  
  
Crowd (singing):  _"It's the Festival of Friendship,  
And we can get it done!  
A festival that they won't forget~!"_  
  
 Then, the trio came upon Photo Finish and Sassy Saddles, the former giving the group an unexpected picture...and surprisingly, Twilight and Moonlight both gave flattering pouts to the camera while Spike struck a triumphant pose as he stood upon Twilight's back. Not long after, Twilight flew by and she and Moonlight gave a high-hoof to DJ PON-3, who was doing a sound check at the turntables.  
  
Crowd (singing):  _"A party to be proud of,  
A day of games and fun!  
Just you wait and see,  
A magic day in perfect harmony~!"_  
  
 Then, the trio ended up in the petting zoo, run by Fluttershy and Tree Hugger, the former trying to get a little bird to sing while Angel sat nearby.  
  
Fluttershy (singing):  _"You got this."_  
  
Bird: *tweets the melody*  
  
 Then, Harry the Bear went up and pulled the group into a big bear hug. Moonlight and Fluttershy didn't seem to mind, but Twilight and Spike struggled while Angel only had his usual look of annoyance on his face.  
  
Fluttershy (singing):  _"We got this together~!"_  
  
 As some birds flew by, Granny Smith blew one of their feathers away from a freshly-baked apple pie while she, Apple Bloom, and the rest of the Apple Family put out the food for the banquet.  
  
Applejack (singing):  _"With friends and family, you are never alone!  
If you need help, we got your ba~ck!"_  
  
 On "back", she gave Spike a hearty slap on the back with her hoof, but in doing so, she accidentally made him breathe fire on Twilight's checklist.  
  
 "Oops," Moonlight squeaked.  
  
 A bit later after that, Applejack had Twilight taste some cider. Seeing it was a bit too bitter, the latter added a bucketful of sugar to the mix, which improved its taste.  
  
Applejack (singing):  _"You can be honest, let your problems be known!"_  
  
Apple Family (singing):  _"'Cause you got us to pick up the slack!  
We got this!"  
_  
Big McIntosh:  _"Eyup!"_  
  
Apple Family (singing):  _"We got this together~!"_  
  
 Soon, the trio met with Rarity at the stage, and they found her replacing the pink ribbons and rectangular diamonds with heart-shaped ones, instead.  
  
Rarity (singing):  _"Pay attention to the details,  
Every gem even spaced,  
Make the colors perfect~"_  
  
Spike (singing):  _"Taking one or two to taste!"_  
  
 Moonlight only gave the little dragon a disapproving look, one she had learned from her older adopted sister, which made Spike grin, sheepishly. Luckily for him, Rarity was preparing a nice little present for him, with the help of Sassy Saddles and Coco Pommel.  
  
Rarity (singing):  _"Inside and out,  
Beautiful throughout,  
Generosity is what we're all about~!"_  
  
Spike (singing and eating):  _"You got this!"_  
  
Rarity and Moonlight (singing):  _"You got this,  
We got this together~!"_  
  
 Twilight smiled as Rarity put up a beautiful blue and purple ribbon banner with pearls on the top of the stage. Then, the purple alicorn flew off with Moonlight riding on her back as they soared through Canterlot.  
  
Twilight (singing):  _"Today needs to be perfect,  
It all comes down to me,  
For all the things they need me to be,"_  
  
 As they flew by, the ponies in the streets waved to them, smiling happily.  
  
Twilight (singing):  _"I am the Princess of Friendship,  
But that is more than just a crown~"_  
  
 The two sisters than flew underneath a bridge, where Moon Dancer, Minuette, and two other unicorns as Twilight glided over a crystal blue lake.  
  
Twilight (singing):  _"It's a promise to bring ponies together,  
And never let anypony down~!"_  
  
Moonlight:  _"Yeah!"_  
  
 Concurrently, Pinkie was stirring up a huge bowl of cake mix, using a giant egg-beater like a bicycle.  
  
Pinkie (singing):  _"We've got an awful lot to bake,  
Everypony needs a piece of cake,"_  
  
 She then spotted Starlight Glimmer, working on making fireworks with her good friend, Trixie Lulamoon.  
  
Pinkie (singing):  _"Oh, wait! There's something better we can do~!"_  
  
 Soon, she gathered up some parts, which she then showed to Cheese Sandwich and her pet toothless alligator, Gummy.  
  
Pinkie (singing):  _"We're gonna need some more supplies,  
To make a really big surprise!  
She'll be so shocked, she's sure to love it, too~!"_  
  
 She then began to construct...well, something huge.  
  
Pinkie (singing):  _"You got this!  
We got this together~!"_  
  
 Soon, after the Wonderbolts got rid of one last cloud, everypony in Canterlot began to sing!  
  
All (singing):  _"It's the Festival of Friendship!  
Together, we are one!  
A day that we will never forget~!"_  
  
 The Wonderbolts, plus Derpy, who was wearing a party hat on her head for some reason, did a high-hoof...only Derpy ended up missing the mark and fell to the ground, not that it bothered her very much.  
  
All (singing):  _"And now everything is ready,  
And when the day is done,"_  
  
Rainbow Dash (singing):  _"The weather!"_  
  
Applejack (singing):  _"The banquet!"_  
  
Rarity (singing):  _"The style!"_  
  
Fluttershy (singing):  _"The music!"_  
  
All (singing):  _"All will be in perfect harmony~!"_  
  
 As Twilight carried that last note...she was unaware that a humungous cannon suddenly appeared behind her, and then,  **KABOOM!!**  It fired something into the sky: a gigantic 5-layer cake, which Twilight didn't see coming until she heard Moonlight cry out "LOOK OUT, TWILIGHT!!!"  
  
 "Oh, no...!!" Twilight whimpered as she tried to run...only for the cake's layers to land on her, one after the other...and finally melt down into a big, goopy mess. Twilight grunted before she managed to get her head out of the puddle, and soon after, a birthday candle landed on her head, much to her ire.  
  
 "Pinkie!!" Twilight shouted.  
  
 "Oopsie!" Pinkie replied as she came out of the cannon. "I guess my Easy Bake Confetti Cake Cannon might need a bit more fine-tuning."  
  
 Moonlight looked at the cake on her hoof before she licked it, then she hummed in approval.  
  
 "Yummy! Buttercream!" she exclaimed, causing Twilight to glare at her. "...What?"  
  
 Twilight only groaned before she blew out the candle on her horn.  
  
 "Things can't get much worse, can they?" she asked.


	2. Enter: Tempest Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as preparations for the Festival of Friendship are complete, a dark force soon casts its shadow upon Canterlot. Tempest Shadow, an evil unicorn, soon appears, along with the powerful forces of the Storm King and seeks only one thing: the princesses' magic! When they refused to surrender, she turns Celestia, Luna, and Cadence into stone, while Twilight, the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight, and Moonlight manage to escape! One question remains though: what will happen now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Little Pony the Movie © Hasbro and Lionsgate
> 
> Moonlight Essence and Swiftclaw © Me

"That was great, Trixie!" exclaimed Starlight as she watched Trixie place more fireworks into the box.  
  
 "But of course," Trixie replied. "The Great and Pow- I mean, the Great and Apologetic Trixie is sure that with these fireworks, the Festival of Friendship will be a grand success!"  
  
 "I'm sure Twilight will appreciate the effort you made," Starlight said. "I know this has been stressing her out for quite some time. After all, this whole thing was her idea and she just wants it to be perfect."  
  
 "You don't say," Trixie said as she looked towards the horizon. "So...you don't think she'll have a problem with those storm clouds, do you?"  
  
 "Storm clouds?" Starlight repeated. "What storm clouds?"  
  
 Trixie pointed to the horizon, and that's when Starlight saw some ominous-looking storm clouds approaching the city's borders. However, as Starlight squinted her eyes, she saw something she did not expect: large, metal aircrafts...and they were somehow creating the storm clouds and leaving a huge storm behind them. They all had this strange insignia too...some sort of horned creature.  
  
 "What do you think those are?" Trixie asked.  
  
 "I don't know," Starlight answered as she turned and cantered away. "I gotta go find Twilight."  
  
 Trixie blinked after her friend before she glanced back at the storm clouds with worry.  
  


XXX

  
 Not too far from Canterlot, walking through the pine forests was a wolf with rust-colored fur and clad in shimmering gold armor with a golden, jewel encrusted crown sitting upon his helmet.  
  
 It was none other Swiftclaw, the new King of Wolves, and he was on his way Canterlot to attend the festival, mostly because Fluttershy cordially invited him. At first, he was unsure of going, not really because he didn't have someone to take charge of the back while he was away, but more over the fact that some ponies in Equestria still feared wolves. Although, he figured that since Fluttershy was there, maybe he had nothing to worry about. After all, the Festival of Friendship was about ponies making new friends, and perhaps other ponies would be more willing to befriend a wolf.  
  
 As Swiftclaw kept walking, the whole area turned dark around him, causing him to stop in his tracks.  
  
 "That's strange," he muttered before he looked up and saw the ships heading for Canterlot. "...Uh-oh."  
  
 Without a moment's hesitation, the young Wolf King dashed toward the city.  
  
XXX  
  
 "Come on, pull!" Applejack called as she, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and Moonlight formed a chain and pulled on Twilight's forelegs, trying to pull her out of the massive puddle of cake and frosting. As they did, though, they heard the crowd beginning to clamor and exclaim in excitement.  
  
 "Oh my Celestia, it's her!!"  
  
 "She's here!"  
  
 "Songbird Serenade?! Is it really her?! It is! It is!!"  
  
 Twilight gasped as she looked up to see a pair of gray unicorn ponies wearing sunglasses and black suits, pushing the crowd aside to reveal a white Pegasus mare wearing a black shirt and had a persian blue and pale gold mane and tail that were dyed separately, and all of it was tied back by a big pink bow, and her cutie mark consisted of a white cloud that rained six hearts: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, respectively.  
  
It was none other than the famous pony pop star, Songbird Serenade, whom Twilight had asked to perform at the festival tonight.  
  
 "Hi ya!" she greeted. "I'm looking for the pony in charge?"  
  
 She then did a few poses for Photo Finish as she flashed her camera.  
  
 "I need to set up for my sound check," she said.  
  
 "S-Songbird Serenade?" Twilight asked as her friends managed to pull her out of the cake puddle, some frosting still sticking to her. "I was just going to check on you! I'm Princess Twilight, and, uh...I'm sorry about the mess. I'm usually not so..." In her attempt to wipe off the frosting on her chest, the purple alicorn accidentally threw the frosting on Songbird's vest, causing everypony to gasp in surprise.  
  
 "Caked in...cake?" asked Songbird, which caused Twilight to chuckle sheepishly.  
  
 "You have visual on buttercream?" asked one of Songbird's bodyguards, using his headpiece.  
  
 "Visual confirmed," replied his partner, also using his headpiece. "Go for cleanup." He then wiped the frosting off of the pop star's vest.  
  
 "Songbird Serenade," said Moonlight, "I can't wait to hear you sing tonight. I've been looking forward to it for days!"  
  
 "You just found out about it, this morning," said Spike.  
  
 "I can change my mind, can't I?" asked Moonlight.  
  
 "Twilight!!"  
  
 Twilight turned to see Starlight run up to her.  
  
 "Starlight?" Twilight asked. "What's the matter?"  
  
 "Listne," said Starlight, "don't panic...but I think maybe we should postpone the festival."  
  
 Twilight gaped upon hearing this.  
  
 "W-what?!" she questioned. "Postpone the festival?!! But everything's ready!! Why?!!"  
  
 "Well..." Starlight began, only for a loud thunderclap to split the air, forcing everypony to look up at the sky and see the ominous-looking storm clouds.  
  
 "Storm clouds?!" Twilight questioned. "I ordered  _perfect weather!_ " She then glared at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash...!"  
  
 "Uh...I don't think those are storm clouds," Rainbow Dash said, nervously.  
  
 At that moment, the huge airship that Starlight had spotted with Trixie suddenly came closing in. The sight made everypony gasp as it cast its ominous shadow over Canterlot, and some fillies even ran to hide beneath their parents. Moonlight was no exception, opting to shrink back and hide under Twilight, peeking her head from beneath her older adopted sister's forelegs.  
  
 "Twilight?" Moonlight asked, worriedly. "I-I'm scared."  
  
 "I-It'll be okay, Moonlight," Twilight assured.  
  
 "Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in. "It's probably those clowns that I ordered!"  
  
 Unfortunately for the pink earth pony, it soon proved to be otherwise when the ship began to land, crushing several pillars around Canterlot's gates and even smashing the clown props.  
  
 "...Or...definitely NOT the clowns I ordered," Pinkie realized.  
  
 "You think?" Starlight asked, incredulously.  
  
 Soon, the ship's gangplank lowered...and the moment it touched the ground, it ended up popping a pink balloon dog that just so happened in its landing spot.  
  
 "BRIAN!!" cried Party Favor. "NOOOOOOO!!!"  
  
 Not long after, something emerged from the ship: it seemed to be some sort of hedgehog with a pug-like nose, blue eyes, and white, spiky hair, and his attire consisted of only a black shirt with the same kind of insignia as the airship, as well as a heavy, metal box that he was carrying. It was at that same moment that Celestia, Luna, and Cadence appeared on the balcony of the castle to see what all the commotion was about. Soon, the hedgehog put the box down, and out of it emerged some spout-like structure, like a phonograph. Then he picked up some sort of microphone-like object to his mouth and began to speak.  
  
  **"Ponies of Equestria~!"**  he shouted, although with a bit of lisp.  **"We are here on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty...STORM KING!!!"**  
  
 On that, a banner suddenly unfolded from the side of the airship, holding a picture of some white-furred, ape-like, horned beast with three fingers and menacing-looking blue eyes, causing the ponies to gasp in shock and fear at the sight. Applejack seemed skeptical, as did Starlight, while Fluttershy seemed increasingly apprehensive, and Twilight, Spike, and Moonlight all glanced at each other, worriedly.  
  
  **"And now!"**  the hedgehog continued.  **"To deliver his evil, EVIL message...put your hooves together...for COMMANDER TEMPEST!!!"**  
  
 Soon after, another figure appeared from the ship: it was a pony with a dark orchid coat, a moderate rose-colored mane and tail that was styled in a Mohawk, these opal eyes that seemed glazed over with callousness, and wearing black armor all over her body. Her most prominent features, however, was the scar over her right eye...and her broken horn, which had magic flaring about out of it.  
  
 "Is...is that a unicorn?" Twilight asked.  
  
 "Uh...I think so," Spike answered, "but what happened to her horn?"  
  
 "That looks like it hurts..." Moonlight whispered.  
  
 Just then, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence landed before the worried crowd.  
  
 "Tempest, is it?" Celestia inquired with her usual polite but authoritative tone. "How may we help you?"  
  
 The unicorn, Tempest, gave a slight smirk and replied "Oh, I'm so glad you asked...how about we start with your  _complete and total surrender?_ "  
  
 "Uh-oh..." Starlight whispered while Twilight went to join her fellow princesses.  
  
 "Twilight, wait!" Moonlight called.  
  
 "Moonlight, stay there, okay?" Twilight asked before she went up in front, giving a bit of an awkward smile. "Umm...hi, there! Hehehe...Princess of Friendship, here! So, listen...I don't know what this is all about, but...I'm sure we can talk things over, right?" She then gave a sheepish grin, but Tempest didn't seem at all fazed by this.  
  
 "Oh, goodie," she said, somewhat darkly as she began to make her way down. "All four princesses...so here's the deal, ladies: I need your magic. So give it up nicely, please, or we make it difficult...for _everyone_."  
  
 While Twilight, as well as everypony else, began to feel more apprehensive than before, Luna stepped forward, showing no fear, whatsoever...something that may or may not prove to be a mistake.  
  
 "And just WHY should we cower before you?" the Princess of the Night inquired. "There's one of you...and _hundreds_ of us!"  
  
 "Luna...!" Celestia said in a warning tone as Tempest gave a sinister chuckle.  
  
 "Oh, I'm SO glad you chose...difficult," she said...as two huge, shadowy creatures appeared behind her.  
  
 "...I think everypony better get ready to run," Applejack whispered.  
  
 "Why?" Rainbow Dash asked, but she soon got her answer when more airship appeared...and not long after, huge, furry beasts, clad in black armor appeared, sending everypony into a frenzy! As if that wasn't bad enough, Tempest suddenly leapt into the air and kicked some sort of tiny orb filled with a green gas toward the princesses. Cadence gasped as she spotted it and attempted to block the projectile using her barrier magic, and at first, it seemed she was able to hold it back...but then, the object went straight through and struck Cadence, who screamed in shock and pain as her body began to turn to stone!  
  
 "CADENCE!!" Celestia cried in alarm.  
  
 "I can't...stop it!!" Cadence yelled, grunting as she tried to break free...but it was too late: she had been petrified where she stood.  
  
 If Shining Armor and Flurry Heart were here, they would surely be horrified.  
  
 That's when Tempest began to charge forward, and Celestia, finally realizing the danger of the situation, turned to Luna.  
  
 "Luna, quick!!" she urged. "Go south, beyond the Badlands!"  
  
 Luna, though terrified, nodded her head in determination.  
  
 "Seek out the Queen of the Hippo- AGH!!" Celestria tried to finish...only for Tempest to kick another orb at her, and soon, she too met the fate of her adopted niece, to Twilight's horror.  
  
 "NO!!" Twilight cried. "PRINCESS CELESTIA!!!"  
  
 Luna gasped in horror upon seeing her petrified older sister, but she knew that now was not the time to be frozen with fear: she had her orders and she needed to carry them out. With that, she tried to fend off the creatures with a beam from her horn before she took to the air...but unfortunately for her, she didn't get very far. Before she could escape, Tempest kicked a third orb at the Princess of the Night, just as she was flying away...and as a result, Princess Luna soon turned to stone as well and plummeted to the ground, where she would shatter into pieces...if not for Twilight using her magic to catch her at the last second.  
  
 "Luna!!" Twilight cried as she struggled to gently set Luna down so as not to smash her...but in doing so, she left herself wide open. Seizing her chance, Tempest chuckled darkly as she jumped into the air once more and kicked another orb at Twilight, who gasped upon seeing it. Just as it seemed that she, too, would meet the same fate as her fellow princesses...  
  
 "TWILIGHT!!!"  
  
 **ZOOM!!!**  Out of nowhere, a rainbow blur blitzed by, just as the orb exploded on the ground into a cloud of green smoke.  
  
 "Hmph!" Tempest smirked as she approached the cloud. "Easy as pie."  
  
 "Oh, I love pie...!" the hedgehog whispered.  
  
 Soon, the cloud began to disperse, and Tempest could make out a wing and what looked like a horn.  
  
 "Oh, you TOTALLY got that last princess!" the hedgehog exclaimed...but as the smoke vanished, they saw it was not Twilight at all, but a certain wall-eyed Pegasus who was wearing a party hat the whole time.  
  
 "That's NOT the princess...!" Tempest hissed, her horn flaring along with her anger before she turned to the hedgehog. "Grubber! Find her, NOW!!"  
  
 "AAH!!" the hedgehog, Grubber, yelped as he turned and ran away. "GUYS, WE GOTTA GET THE PRINCESS!!!"  
  
 **SMASH!!**  Tempest, in her frustration, stomped her hoof upon Twilight's crown, shattering it into pieces.  
  


XXX

 

 Not too far away, it was revealed that thanks to Rainbow Dash, Twilight managed to escape the obsidian orb...but now, she had another problem: she couldn't find Moonlight anywhere!  
  
 "Moonlight?!" Twilight called as she looked around, frantically for the unicorn filly. "Moonlight, where are you?!!"  
  
 "Twilight!!" Moonlight cried as she, too, was looking for her older adopted sister, having gotten lost in the stampede of ponies. "Twilight!!!"  
  
 That's when one of the beasts appeared behind the unsuspecting and frightened little filly, but just when it was about to grab her, Starlight rammed the beast in the side before she ran up and grabbed Moonlight by her mane, then threw her onto her back before she ran to Twilight.  
  
 "Twilight!" Starlight called. "Over here! I've got her!"  
  
 "Oh, thank Celestia...!" Twilight whispered as they all began to run together, and not a moment too soon, for they saw Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike up ahead.  
  
 "Over here, y'all!!" Applejack called as they began to make a run for the city's entrance, while Rainbow Dash led Twilight, Starlight, and Moonlight toward them.  
  
 "Come on! Faster!!" Starlight shouted as they managed to catch up with their friends. However, before they could make it across the bridge, two more of the beasts appeared before them, holding large spears and shields. Twilight grunted as she tried to shoot them away with her magic, but the creatures held up their shields, which ended up bouncing the magic right back at the ponies, and the result caused the bridge to completely crumble beneath their hooves, sending them screaming to the river below!  
  
 "AND I DIDN'T EVEN PACK MY SWIMSUIT!!!" cried Pinkie before they all landed with a splash, where they soon struggled to keep their heads above water.  
  
 "Well," Rarity started as she looked at her now soaked mane, "my hairdo's ruined...AGAIN."  
  
 "Ugh...how can things get any worse?!" Twilight questioned.  
  
 "Uh...Twilight?!" Spike asked as he pointed a claw forward. "LOOK!!!"  
  
 The ponies looked up and saw that they were about to go over a huge waterfalll!  
  
 "...I just HAD to ask," said Twilight in a deadpan tone.  
  
 "Not again!" Moonlight bemoaned before they all went screaming over the falls.

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I wanted to do while The Fire Within is on hold. Hope you don't mind.


End file.
